Re: gender & new information technologies

Jay Lemke (JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU)
Tue, 18 Jun 96 22:17:32 EDT

Following on Kathy Ahern's thoughtful message, and the prior
discussion, I wonder if we don't all have to 'find a voice' for
each new medium, each new community we join? but where the
communities share a set of values, or dispositions (ala Bourdieu)
to value some sorts of voices more than others, those with
valued voices need do less 'retuning'. Perhaps the problem with
finding a 'first voice', with getting the air out of our throats,
and hitting that Send key (we talk and write more privately, I
suspect, in private voices that _we_ value, more often than we
'go public') is that we suspect Others will not value the kind
of voice we'd speak in. Based perhaps on past experience, and
often with the common denominator that men don't always hear
the wisdom in women's voices, or the affluent the accents of
the poor, the righteous the tones of dissenters, the middle-aged
the young and elders, etc. etc.

But what would it matter if they didn't have the power to
hurt us? our feelings, our life-chances, our bodies?

I hope I can learn to value voices I haven't been ear-trained
to listen to. I can get away with flaunting a lot of conventions;
others may be justifiably more cautious. Still, the wealth of
our community here is in the interplay of many voices, and
I hope more people who've felt reluctant to speak will do so.
Speaking and being heard is about the only way I know to
develop a voice of one's own. I was told here once before that
the way I write (and some others here do) can be intimidating
for those who feel their voices won't fit in with the patterns
most often heard here. I can only repeat what I think I said
then: I don't listen to this list to hear other voices like
my own, I listen to hear something 'different' ... and I try
to learn how to value what I'm hearing. It is not easy. My
first reaction to real difference is often negative ... I've
come to see that as a sign I should learn to listen differently.
But I have to hear those different voices again and again to
begin to do so. JAY.

JAY LEMKE.
City University of New York.
BITNET: JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM
INTERNET: JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU